Corn Creek Visitor Center

CORN CREEK, NV - JMA Architects

"The Concepts."

The concept for the design of the 10,000 square foot Desert Nafional Wildlife Refuge Administrative / Visitor Center at Com Creek is to design a place that enhances the visitor's experience of the landscape, and the stories that it tells. Approaching the site from the south ... a hint of architecture appears above the landscape. A simple slice between two landscape berms frames the entry, acting as a gateway to the native landscape beyond.

Before entering the building, the story-telling begins with a native landscape exhibition display on the landscape berms. The landscape slopes upward into the long sloping roof line, taking one's eye from the landscape up towards the sky and mountains beyond. The concrete retaining walls provide text/graphics with site informafion, and history as one walks the entry path.



The walls begin wide and low invitng people into the site, and become more narrow and taller as they get closer to the entry compressing visitors right before they enter the lobby.

As one travels north through the lobby, the ceiling height begins to climb and fioor-to-ceiling glass allows the visitors expansive views towards the mountain ranges. Visitors have easy access to the outdoor trails (and future amphitheater), shaded seafing areas, and interior exhibifion space from the main lobby.

"The architecture must become an inseparable part of the landscape and the landscape must become an inseparable part of the architecture."



 Display Board

Just wanted to share that JMA took top honors on April 18th 2012 at the Las Vegas AIA Unbuilt Design Awards, and was awarded the only Honor Award for the Corn Creek Visitor Center design.